Solitude Along a Busy Highway: A Memoir Moment
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler
“Solitude is the place for purification.” ~ Martin Buber, Brainy Quotes
Photo Credit: Free Google Images
Solitude Along a Busy Highway
Life is full of all sorts of detours and diversions.
We can all benefit from finding some solitude along the busy highway of life to refresh and renew ourselves.
And for anyone tackling the hard work of writing a memoir, I find it is essential.
For the past twenty years, I have attended an annual women’s spiritual retreat at The Dominican Retreat and Conference Center (DRCC) in our area which promises “Solitude along a busy highway”.
It’s part of my toolkit for recapturing serenity, strengthening spirituality and finding enrichment in my life. And I admit, all have been challenged of late.
The DRCC has become my sacred ground where I step away from the daily grind and open myself up to reflecting on my life and nurturing and healing my spirit.
Unplugging from the internet and mass media was my greatest need.
The Center is staffed by Dominican Sisters, other religious and lay people. The retreat I attended was a Women’s Theme Weekend, meaning we reflected upon a scriptural passage and made it relevant for our personal lives. Our retreat leader was Sr. Teresa Tuite, a Dominican Sister of Peace who is Director at the School of Adult Faith Formation & Ministry to the Sick and Bereaved at St. Brigid of Kildare Parish in Dublin, Ohio. She holds a Masters in Pastoral Studies and a Doctor of Ministry degree.
This quiet, unassuming and wise woman touched us all deeply with her simple, yet powerful message about the power of our faith and the power of our voices in proclaiming this faith.
The theme of this weekend was:
“What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51)
We reflected on the story of Bartimaeus, who trusting that Jesus could heal his blindness, cried out to him despite the crowd trying to silence him. And he was healed.
We reflected on these questions:
What is the darkness or blindness in you today?
What are the voices demanding that you be silent?
***
In between conference sessions, we had free time for rest, prayer, chair or foot massages. I had a chair massage then enjoyed an hour-long nap!
The optional session, “Self-Awareness”, piqued my interest especially when the Rob Bell video, “Name” proclaimed:
“The oxygen of spiritual life is self-awareness” (Andy Otto)
“Embrace and claim your story, your history. We need to be saved from all the times we lost our true self.”
“Examine, uncover, discover”
Our session leader then walked us through a self-awareness exercise from Taking the Exercises to the World by E.Tomas where we explored the following steps :
Figure out your strong points,your gifts and talents and your weaknesses/”growing edges”.
Identify your good and bad habits
Make a list of the things you like and dislike
Make a list of what motivates you—gives you life or doesn’t
Write down your core values.
What matters or is relevant in your life right now?
Ask for feedback. Only do this if you feel comfortable and you should ask for feedback from people whom you trust.
She invited us to peruse a table of cards by artists Magdalen Daniels, Rebecca Lee and Diane Tyrell and choose the ones that drew us in:
The Journey
Take time to rest and soak in the moment
The Dance of Freedom
As a memoir writer. I couldn’t help but correlate the above questions to memoir writing. It is a self-discovery process as you uncover new feelings and perceptions along the way. It helps you make meaning of the events in your life and helps you to see how you have changed. And, of course, getting feedback from people you trust with your story is essential.
Yes, memoir writing is the ultimate exercise in self-awareness.
***
We had several prayer services in the beautiful chapel.
We wrote what we wanted Jesus to do for us on small pieces of paper and placed them on the altar…
then were asked:
What is your special light?
Where will you let the adventure take you to discover your special light?
“We are gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.” (Mary Dunbar).
We gathered in the dining room for delicious, healthy meals, shared our stories in the alcoves and meeting rooms, laughed, cried, sang. After a spirit-filled Mass on Sunday, we hugged each other goodbye.
Uplifted. Lighter.
What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Week than to give yourself the gift of finding solitude along a busy highway?
It is a gift of self-love.
***
How about you? How do you nurture your spirit for the long haul of life? How do you step away from the busy highway to find peace and serenity?
I’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
Next Week:
Monday, 2/20/17:
“A Letter to My Younger Self by Memoir Author Sherry Weathers”
Sherry is the author of Taking Back My Life, a memoir about freedom from domestic abuse.
